Job summary
We are recruiting for a Head of Pensions to work in partnership with NHS trade unions and government to influence positive change and ensure the NHS Pension Scheme remains a valuable tool for attracting, retaining and rewarding NHS staff.
Main duties of the job
As Head of Pensions, you will:
- Engage with employers and represent their views in national discussions on pension policy.
- Provide technical advice and guidance to support employers to understand, implement and communicate changes to pension policy.
- Contribute to the management, development and continuous improvement of the Pay, Reward and Employment Relations directorate, as part of our management team.
About youYou will have a good understanding of the NHS Pension Scheme and how it fits into the overall reward offer for NHS staff as well as:
- Experience of providing secretariat services, including chairing meetings.
- Strong influencing skills.
Being able to bring new ideas for continuous improvement.
- Experience in leading and supporting a small but impactful team to be the best they can be.
This is a permanent, part time role working 21.9 hours per week (0.6FTE)
About us
About us
The NHS Alliance is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive environment for our staff. A place where we can all be ourselves and succeed on merit. We offer a range of inclusive employment policies including family friendly policies and flexible working and we have range of channels to support staff from different backgrounds including our staff networks and a staff forum.
The NHS Alliance is committed to being a flexible employer.
We understand the value and benefit to our employees being able to work flexibly and our agile working principles are designed to empower our people to work with optimal flexibility and minimal constraints to support a work life balance and take care of employee health and wellbeing.
You will receive an excellent benefits package, including 30 days annual leave (plus bank holidays), pension scheme, cycle to work scheme, salary sacrifice schemes and travel season ticket loans.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- Ensure the effective running of the NHS Pension Scheme Advisory Board and any subgroups (including chairing the Technical Advisory Group) ensuring that secretariat functions are carried out in a professional manner and that priorities are achieved.
- Support the development of the employer representatives on the board and various groups.
- Manage the contract with the independent actuary and ensure that appropriate advice is available to all members of the Scheme Advisory Board as required.
- Provide leadership and strategic advice on the range of remuneration, contractual and employment relations issues, particularly the NHS Pension scheme ensuring that NHS Employers continues to have a high profile and a positive reputation with employers in the NHS.
- Build and maintain an understanding of specialist areas of pension related policy knowledge across the team; this will also require a degree of horizon scanning on future challenges and issues.
- Build and maintain a partnership approach with national trade union representatives and employers in the NHS to deliver work programme activities.
- Where needed develop, negotiating strategies for changes to pension scheme design.
Oversee the development of a comprehensive range of resources for employers on issues relating to pensions and reward and help them to develop and communicate their approach.
- Work proactively with NHS Employers communications and engagement teams to support employers to understand, communicate and implement pension policy changes.
- Gather views from employers on our services, activities, tools and resources, to support the evaluation of our work, measure its impact and drive continuous improvement.
- As part of the management team, you will contribute to the management and development of the Pay, Reward and Employment Relations directorate through management meetings, directorate staff meetings and activities.
- You will deputise for the assistant director at both internal and external meetings when required
Contribute, in collaboration with others, material to support the preparation of annual evidence to the NHS Pay Review Body (NHS PRB) and the pay review body for doctors and dentists (DDRB).
- You will be responsible for the effective line management of the Pension Team including recruitment, performance management and employee development in line with the organisations Human Resources policies and procedures.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- Ensure the effective running of the NHS Pension Scheme Advisory Board and any subgroups (including chairing the Technical Advisory Group) ensuring that secretariat functions are carried out in a professional manner and that priorities are achieved.
- Support the development of the employer representatives on the board and various groups.
- Manage the contract with the independent actuary and ensure that appropriate advice is available to all members of the Scheme Advisory Board as required.
- Provide leadership and strategic advice on the range of remuneration, contractual and employment relations issues, particularly the NHS Pension scheme ensuring that NHS Employers continues to have a high profile and a positive reputation with employers in the NHS.
- Build and maintain an understanding of specialist areas of pension related policy knowledge across the team; this will also require a degree of horizon scanning on future challenges and issues.
- Build and maintain a partnership approach with national trade union representatives and employers in the NHS to deliver work programme activities.
- Where needed develop, negotiating strategies for changes to pension scheme design.
Oversee the development of a comprehensive range of resources for employers on issues relating to pensions and reward and help them to develop and communicate their approach.
- Work proactively with NHS Employers communications and engagement teams to support employers to understand, communicate and implement pension policy changes.
- Gather views from employers on our services, activities, tools and resources, to support the evaluation of our work, measure its impact and drive continuous improvement.
- As part of the management team, you will contribute to the management and development of the Pay, Reward and Employment Relations directorate through management meetings, directorate staff meetings and activities.
- You will deputise for the assistant director at both internal and external meetings when required
Contribute, in collaboration with others, material to support the preparation of annual evidence to the NHS Pay Review Body (NHS PRB) and the pay review body for doctors and dentists (DDRB).
- You will be responsible for the effective line management of the Pension Team including recruitment, performance management and employee development in line with the organisations Human Resources policies and procedures.
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- HR or pension professional with experience of pension matters, both in relation to the NHS Pension Scheme and / or the wider pensions landscape.
- Experience of providing secretariat functions, including chairing meetings
- Experience of building strong, trusting, and influential relationships with a range of stakeholders (internal and external) including trade union national officials.
- Experience of dealing with complex pension, pay and terms and conditions matters in large and complex unionised workforces.
- An appreciation and understanding of industrial and employment relations work in a public sector and NHS context, including being familiar with some of the main challenges affecting NHS pay and terms and conditions of service.
- Strong influencing and policy development skills to lead policy changes against priority objectives.
- Confident in interpreting and communicating data to create and present clear evidence-based policy solutions and dealing with sometimes significant levels of ambiguity.
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- HR or pension professional with experience of pension matters, both in relation to the NHS Pension Scheme and / or the wider pensions landscape.
- Experience of providing secretariat functions, including chairing meetings
- Experience of building strong, trusting, and influential relationships with a range of stakeholders (internal and external) including trade union national officials.
- Experience of dealing with complex pension, pay and terms and conditions matters in large and complex unionised workforces.
- An appreciation and understanding of industrial and employment relations work in a public sector and NHS context, including being familiar with some of the main challenges affecting NHS pay and terms and conditions of service.
- Strong influencing and policy development skills to lead policy changes against priority objectives.
- Confident in interpreting and communicating data to create and present clear evidence-based policy solutions and dealing with sometimes significant levels of ambiguity.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
